Cat in a Maze
by empousai
Summary: AU a mission goes bad for Trowa and it's up to the others to rescue him


Title: Cat in a Maze

Fandom: Gundam Wing

Author: iniq

Pairings: none

Rating: R

Category: AU, gen, action

Warnings: language

Disclaimer: Shin Kidousenki Gundam Wing and its characters are copyright to Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, and associated parties. No infringement or disrespect is intended by this non-profit, non-commercial amateur work of fan fiction, which is not published for profit or material gain. The author has no intent to infringe any intellectual property rights held by the owners of existing copyrights in Gundam Wing or its derivative works.

No rats were harmed or killed in the making of this piece of fanfiction.

Big thanks go to Merith for taking the time to beta this. smooch

**Cat in a Maze**

The building stood tall and dark against the cloudy night sky. The InGen neon sign illuminated the air, giving the mist on the ground a faint green glow. The place was empty save for a few guards and some scientists working the night shift. Trowa snorted derisively. The security in this place was a joke. Nobody would notice him going in, and if everything went according to plan, nobody would notice him on his way out either. Patting down his jacket, Trowa made sure all the fastenings were closed. Then he checked his watch and pressed the button on his collar.

"Raider Two in position. Over."

After a short moment of radio silence his earpiece started crackling, and the man in the command center confirmed.

"Raider Two, Base here. Proceed with the operation. Good luck. Base out."

Trowa hummed an affirmative. There was no need to get in contact with the command center until he was done. He had his orders. Once again he checked his watch; then he slid the night goggles over his eyes and searched for the guards surrounding the building. Two were just finishing their round. He ducked below the undergrowth and crawled closer to the edge of the bushes. At this time of the night the parking lot was deserted, and he dared to crawl as far as he could until the next pair of guards came from the north side of the building.

When he saw them approach, he stilled his movements. Their flashlights cast thin rays of artificial light through the fog, barely illuminating the path in front of them. He wouldn't have to fear them. Their footsteps – even in heavy army boots - were barely audible in the night, and Trowa was sure that the mist would swallow any sound the soles of his bodysuit made.

As soon as they were out of sight, he ran toward the building and snapped the Maghook loose from the X-shaped utility belt around his torso. He aimed the grappling hook at the side of the building and pulled the trigger. The magnetic head discharged with a dull thud and flew through the air. Now charged, it searched for the nearest metallic source – the huge panel on the side of the building. It snapped against the broad InGen panel and stuck hard, ready to carry Trowa's weight easily. He let the powerful spool lift him up three floors, his eyes almost always fixed on the pavement at the north side of the building. When he had reached the end of the line, he paused and looked down again. The guards had just finished their round, and it would be several minutes until the next patrol would pass – as expected, no one had heard him. He reached out with a foot and hoisted himself up on a windowsill. The third floor hosted offices, and it would be easy to get in through one of the windows. Intel had informed him that the security mechanism that was connected to the windows on the third floor would be dislodged. He trusted the department.

The small Slim Jim went through the frame easily, and in a moment the lock gave way. Trowa pushed the window open and after another look down at the ground, he slid in slowly. The guards walking past hadn't looked up. His feet barely made a sound as they connected with the linoleum. He was more careful than was necessary. Quietly, he put the tool away and closed the window. Then he progressed through the empty office quickly, not expecting anybody to be here. He checked for any light sources in the corridor before opening the door. There would be no movement detectors in the corridors, so he would be relatively save from any blinding surprises. Slowly he slipped out and closed the door behind himself.

The data he had received said there wouldn't be any guards inside the building, except for the entrance hall and the first floor where the scientists were working. When he had gotten his orders, he had been skeptical. If InGen was as dangerous as the Organization suspected, there had to be more security – in his opinion. The company, however, was so sure that their guards outside would deal with any intruders, that they had spent the most money in the personnel sector and the protection of the science lab. Trowa hadn't prepared the mission himself, he was just the reserve, and so he refrained from drawing any conclusions. It was a dangerous mission, and his stomach felt queasy at the idea of taking over someone else's plans. He had to rely on the information the other agent had collected, and while he usually didn't trust anybody to plan missions for him, being reserve for someone in department Delta didn't sound half bad. The hacker core of the organization was notorious for planning its missions meticulously, even if they usually relied too heavily on computers. Given the choice, he would have taken the mission as it was, reviewed all data, and found a way that would have suited him best. However, the time frame he had been given hadn't allowed that.

As it was, Trowa had barely memorized the map of the building. He glanced at the compass and went to the right, where he would meet the freight elevator shaft through which he could get in and out. The bureau he had to enter was on the fifth floor. Two floors through the elevator shaft would be no problem; the elevator wasn't in operation at this time of the night.

When he had reached the corner, he took out his electronic stun key and opened the door with a click of a button. Slipping inside, he quickly tilted the night vision glasses up and rubbed at his eyes – a small luxury he could afford. He pulled them back in place and sighed. Then the electronic key was replaced by another tool set, and he opened the panel to the elevator shaft, before setting it aside with a soft noise. He checked the elevator shaft for anything suspicious before he made his way up the wall. Quiet as a cat, he climbed the metal ladder up, afraid of using the Maghook because of the loud echo in the narrow space. Guards tended to investigate strange sounds, especially when they came from freight elevators at one in the morning.

He reached the fifth floor without problems, and after unscrewing this cover panel too, he hopped inside the small elevator control room. He rested the panel against the wall, and unlocked the door. Counting on the absence of guards in this corridor too, he opened the door. As expected, the hallway was void of both, people and motion detectors.

He checked the room numbers and quickly passed the doors that didn't concern him on his search for the right one. Ten doors down the hall he found what he had come for. The data needed would be on the computer, typical for a Delta mission. It wasn't connected to the network, which made the whole manual transfer necessary. Not even the hackers could work with a computer cut off from the source. He yanked his goggles off and sat down before searching his pocket for a starter disk. With the decoder in the slot, he started the computer up.

The other agent had simplified his instructions, and he had trained on a computer in his office, so it wasn't difficult to find the correct folder. He plugged in the memory stick and copied the files. Despite the high speed of the transfer, Trowa couldn't help thrumming his fingers on the desk. Trowa hated this part – the not moving, the sitting still like a waiting duck, hoping that no one would suddenly barge in. He stood up and went to the window. He could see the city lights in the distance and thought he had heard thunder. Curious, he searched the horizon and indeed, miles away, a flash lit up the sky.

When he returned to the desk, the upload was close to finishing. He counted the seconds, and as soon as it was done, he closed the folder. The mission was as good as over. He pocketed the memory stick and the disk, and clicked on the task bar to shut the computer down. Suddenly, a browser window opened, and the system announced an intruder. Trowa's eyes widened. How? He recalled the instructions he had been given by the other agent, but couldn't remember being warned about suddenly self-destructing systems. It was time to run.

Not bothering with the computer, Trowa left the room just as red warning lights colored his world red. Glad that he hadn't put the goggles back on, Trowa sprinted down the corridor. While the facility wasn't heavily guarded, the few guards that were on the grounds were elite. At least that's what the other agent had assumed on his trip through InGen's files. They were easy to fool with the tricks he had used up until now, but on the ground, the story told was a different one. He couldn't allow himself to be caught. A second attempt at breaking into the facility would be close to impossible, especially if InGen found out what to hide. The data had to get out and into the right hands – this time, or the organization's attempts at stopping this company would never succeed.

He locked the control room, keeping the appearance of an undisturbed room. With a deep breath he pulled the goggles on again. This would be a long night. Pressing nervous fingers to the collar around his neck, he called Base.

"Raider Two here. SNAFU. I repeat: SNAFU. Over."

Without waiting, he grabbed the Maghook and as quietly as possible, he clunked the heavy magnet against the wall of the elevator. He pulled the panel back in place, but only screwed the bolts in at two corners. He didn't have time to cover his traces properly. As the earpiece crackled, he was already halfway down the elevator shaft, close to level three.

"Raider Two, this is Base. Commence with escape plan as you see fit. Over."

Trowa grunted. Plan B would be the first escape plan implemented in case he was detected, escape plan A simply dealt with running and hiding as fast as possible. He didn't think escape route A was still an option. The grounds would be swarming with guards and dogs now. With a growl he pressed his fingers to his collar again. He hated going down into tunnel systems. He hadn't had the time to memorize the details of this one, just the route that would get him to the pick up point. There were several steel doors locked with passwords he couldn't hack if they – and this was likely – had been changed. This mission had gone sour very fast. He would need Base to open the doors for him, and to guide him through the complicated system.

"Base, this is Raider Two. Commencing with escape plan B. Can you clear the way? Over."

He stepped on the ladder and checked the elevator shaft. He was almost at the air vent on the first floor. He could already see the carriage underneath him. Praying that he would make it there in time, before anybody got the idea to operate the elevator, he uncharged the Maghook three levels above and waited for the line to pull in the sinker. He hated fishing like this.

The voice on the other end took a few moments to come back. "Raider Two, Base cannot clear the way. Wait for instructions. Dispatch is sending for help. Over."

Trowa couldn't believe it. Base wasn't able to hack his way out of here? He decided to try his luck and go as far as he could, hoping the first door would be open. He didn't think the way was still clear, but at least he could wait there until the original Raider arrived at the base. He was trapped like a mouse – with a steel door on one side, and a bunch of trigger-happy guards on the other. He hadn't been informed why exactly Raider One hadn't been able to perform the operation himself, so he hoped the other agent wasn't gone on another mission, or lying in a hospital bed somewhere. Clenching his teeth, he gave his okay.

"Understood. Raider Two is waiting for Raider One. Out."

He looked at his watch. He would give them fifteen minutes to find the original agent, then he would try to find his way out with plan C.

The sudden, loud and melodic ring of the red telephone echoed through the silent apartment. At the second ring, a man stumbled grumbling out of the first room down the hallway and went for the communication center in the corner of the living room; it was the apartment's destined office, where all the cables came together. At the third ring, just as a second man came hobbling out of the second room down the hall, the irritated agent picked up.

"Agent Disgruntled-at-being-disturbed-in-the-middle-of-the-night here. Who wants to eat a bullet so badly?"

"This is Mission Base. Heero, I need Raider One. Operation Hitchhiker is FUBAR. We need the boss to rescue Raider Two."

Heero looked at his partner who was limping toward him. He shook his head at the questioning eyes and snapped at the voice on the other end, "Base, Raider One is barely able to walk. He cannot stage a rescue mission – that was the whole point of giving it to the reserve in the first place."

He reached out with his good arm to stabilize his partner. Duo was frowning now, trying to find out what had happened. Heero felt Duo balancing his weight, and looked down to see that the sprained ankle wasn't bandaged in the haste. He almost growled into the receiver, as the man on the other end sighed impatiently.

"Raider One will not stage a rescue operation, we need him to hack out of the complex. The agent inside is escaping through the tunnel system. Dispatch is sending a driver to your apartment, please get him ready. Force-feed him coffee, chocolate or insert an IV bag with caffeine if you have to. The car will be there in approximately five minutes."

"All right, Keith. He will be ready." He slammed the receiver back down and turned to look at Duo who was watching him with a concerned expression.

"What's up?"

"The replacement fucked the mission up. Base is sending a car so you can get Raider Two through the tunnel system."

"Shit."

Heero nodded in agreement before he cast a look at his partner's desk. "What do you want me to do?"

Duo let go of Heero's arm and pointed at his desk. "Take everything that's on top, marked as the Hitchhiker Operation. Put it in a bag together with a couple of Snickers bars and something heavy in caffeine. I'll get dressed." He started hopping away. "Ah, and get me the mobile communication unit ready. I'll give Raider Two instructions as soon as I'm done."

Heero did as he was told. He shoved everything into a bag, added snack food, and got the mobile headset ready. While his partner was dressing, Heero fetched the black crutch from the entrance, and brought it to the back room. When the doorbell rang, he rushed back, taking the bag with him on the way. He buzzed the door open downstairs, and opened their apartment door.

"Duo, are you ready?"

The other man hadn't bothered closing his door, so Heero cast a look down the corridor and watched Duo wrap his ankle. He would only have to stay a few more minutes; then he could go back to bed. He sighed and rubbed his shoulder. It was throbbing again. Damn. This mission wasn't an urgent one – it could've waited another week, until they were both back on light duty. He glared at the phone, for lack of anything else available to blame this evil interruption of precious sleep on.

Duo grabbed his jacket and stood up, his hand was clutching at the heavy steel frame of his bed to give him some balance. He hobbled out of his room and gratefully grabbed the crutch Heero had placed at the door. Having something steady to take his weight made moving in this condition much easier. In the hallway he saw Heero poke his shoulder and sighed. Between the two of them, they were a sorry sight. Heero was clad in boxers and an old t-shirt, his hair sticking off in all directions. He frowned at the door, almost waiting for the agent outside to make a flippant remark. He probably didn't look much better. He hadn't bothered with his hair, and what clothing he had thrown on was wrinkled. The deodorant would cover up the night sweat, but he felt unclean nonetheless. Sighing, he rubbed his cheek, the one that didn't have abrasions from their last mission; he probably had a five o'clock shadow as well.

When the agent appeared in the doorway, the professional in him took over. Duo stopped worrying about his appearance and his stupid ankle and rushed toward Heero. Grabbing the headset, he slipped the plastic bow on, and plugged the earpiece into the shell of one ear. Then he pulled the mouthpiece down and fumbled with the buttons.

"Give me the frequency. We need to get him through the first door as quickly as possible. How long since he reported last?"

The agent was quick to reply. He took the bag from Heero and started out the door. "Frequency is 102, you're being patched through directly. He reported ten minutes ago. Base immediately sent for you."

"Good." Snapping the headset in place, he raised his hand to wave at Heero. "See you later, partner."

He didn't wait for Heero to reply to that, but snapped the switch of the mike on with a deep breath. He was ready to go.

"Raider Two, this is Raider One. Do you read?"

Trowa snapped his head up. Finally. The alarm had been shut off a few minutes ago, and the freight elevator had gone up to the top floor – probably to squish anyone trying to hide on top of the carriage. He had escaped into the vent, and put the panel properly back in place. He had thought about giving them a wrong lead, but it would be safer this way. He couldn't risk being spotted, not with his escape route blocked like that. Calmly he pressed his fingers to the collar and spoke.

"Raider One, this is Raider Two. I'm at the first door. They changed the passwords, I can't get through."

"I'm still on my way to the command center; I don't have a computer here. Just don't get bored and try doing something like unscrewing the cover. Bridging cables will only make it worse."

Trowa rolled his eyes, but put his tools away. Another minute and he would've tried that. He sank against the wall. Raider One had a confident voice, and he felt more reassured now that the professional was taking charge of things.

"Raider Two, what's your name?"

The question surprised him, but it made sense. It would be easier and faster to call him by his first name, instead of Raider Two. "Trowa."

"All right, Trowa. I put a security patch into the first door. I want you to type in "5583" now. Let's see if they changed the whole system, or just implemented a new set of passwords."

With a grunt of acknowledgement, Trowa got up to his feet. He punched in the numbers and pressed the enter key. He stared at the red light, waiting for it to switch to green. After an agonizing moment, the lock beeped and opened.

This would put one steel door between him and the guards – he would breathe easier after that. Trowa slipped through the door, and pushed it closed behind him. Swiping the other hand through his bangs, he watched the lock's light switch to red again. One down, six to go. He brought the hand to his neck and pressed the buttons on the collar.

"Thanks, Raider One, I'm through. Tell me when you're at the computer. I'm moving down the tunnel to the next door."

"Don't let the rats bite you."

Trowa checked the tunnel before him. It was shimmering green from the light in his glasses, but as far as he could see, there was no movement anywhere. He grunted, "Raider One obviously hasn't planned the mission carefully enough. There are no rats down here."

"Wait and see, Trowa. They'll show themselves when you're getting slower and more sleepy," came the quick reply.

Trowa snorted. That guy thought he was funny? He couldn't much laugh about that, because he really didn't fancy ending up as rat food. With a snort, he stuck his tongue out, well aware that the man on the other end couldn't see him.

"Fuck you, Raider One. Raider Two out."

Before he shut the communication line, Trowa could hear a faint chuckle on the other end. Taking a deep breath he jumped into the ankle high water on the other side of the platform, and drowned out anything but the sound of water waves clashing against the tunnel wall. The water wasn't unpleasantly cold yet, but in a few hours, he knew his feet would be frozen. Bodysuit slippers weren't the most insulated shoes.

The web of tunnels stretched out before him, an endless maze of interconnecting tunnels, some of them were blocked, and some had already caved in. Some had been blocked by high technology. The tunnel system was a remnant of an old water system supplying the old, cleared-out military base with water. When InGen had moved in, they had locked all the tunnels because they weren't allowed to drain water from the nearby lake. The tunnels were all dry now, except for the rainwater drainage that led surplus water through the compound. Luckily, he would only have to follow the main tunnel a few miles until he reached the pick up point. That meant, a few miles through a wet, cold sewer and past blocked steel doors, followed by people who had gotten the orders to stop anyone from getting outside InGen's parameters. He was faintly reminded of the last remake of The Fugitive. Only he wasn't hunted by a sexy, steel-gray Tommy Lee Jones. Trowa grunted, displeased.

Duo stuck his crutch out of the open car door and pulled the bag out behind him. Nodding his thanks to the driver, he got up and staggered toward the building. He hobbled up the steps and waved at the night porter through the glass panel that was the front wall. He let the bag fall to the floor to fetch the wallet from his back pocket. When he had pulled the card out, knowing he would need the card two more times until he could even get to his computer, he stuck it between his lips.

The light turned green and with both his hands full, he pushed the heavy door open with a shoulder. Greeting the doorman in passing, he made his way over to the elevator where he had to pull his card through the reader yet again. He had to use it once more on the third floor to access their third computer lab, where the second night porter was just about to leave, the heavy and sweet smell of Chinese food wafting around him. He held the glass door open, casting a brief look at the large amount of round stickers on the door that were forbidding the use of various substances – including Popsicles, dogs, Star Wars fans, and old people with walkers. The Hackbusters lab was famed for a misplaced, disturbing sense of humor; as was illustrated by the various naked models decorating the latest computer models hanging on the metal panels dividing the huge glass panel walls. The posters were courtesy of one Heero Yuy, and had officially been approved in an official note by the boss himself, Duo Maxwell.

Duo shook his head. "Keith, I thought we've talked about food in the computer lab?" He pointedly looked at the panel next to the door where a memo from the department head, "advising against the use of food in computer labs", was nailed to a cork oak board with darts. He sniffed demonstratively while starting up his computer. "What did you order anyway? Is that Crispy Salty Chicken I smell?"

"Right, boss. Want some? I got extra chopsticks."

Duo typed his two passwords in and grinned. His colleague knew him too well. He rolled his chair backwards to reach out for the box Keith was holding out for him. The other man pointed at Duo's ankle with his chopsticks and swallowed before speaking up.

"I hope I didn't make the He-Man too grumpy, but I thought I'd leave the Hitchhiker to you. I know from a certain, very reliable source that you can hack the Centaur in your sleep."

Duo snorted. He was known to talk about programs in his sleep. Heero had once recorded it, and to their amusement and surprise, almost all the commands had worked.

"Nah, it's okay. He's just grumpy because with his bad shoulder he has difficulty typing. You know what happens when Heero can't access a computer; he gets a little funny in the head." Duo grinned, remembering Heero's sad figure on the couch the night before, watching a movie and trying so hard not to glance at his computer every few minutes.

"So, what happened? Did Raider Two get in all right?"

Keith nodded, noodles between his lips. "He just updated us while he was waiting. He got the data, everything. He said the alarm went off when he tried to shut the computer down. Probably took the hack disk out too early, if you ask me."

Duo hummed. That was likely - and also entirely his fault for not making that clearer. He took a deep breath. He could always take the blame later, when Raider Two and the data were safely back home. The computer gave an ominous beep when it had completely logged on to the network, and Duo turned to fetch his local headset. The quality was better on the main label equipment than on the little portable headset. He cued himself in on 102 and pinged Raider Two again.

"Trowa, my man, where are you now?" Waiting for a reply, he stuffed more chicken into his mouth. Two o'clock in the morning was the perfect time for eating Chinese. Just as three o'clock was perfect for depressing thoughts, as quoted from Fitzgerald. He sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Raider Two answered slightly panting, the voice clearer now, through the two big headphones. "I'm here, still in one piece. How's the second door coming? I think I'll reach it soon."

Duo was already hacking into InGen's Centaur system. "Looking good. I just jammed the first one. That should set them back a bit, if they come after you, that is. We don't know that yet-" His eyes widened, as he saw an attempt at hacking the password from the door. His fingers flew over the keyboard, and he hastily continued talking. "Trowa, I don't know about your stamina, but I hope you can keep running for a bit longer."

"Shit." Trowa cursed. "What are you doing? I thought that once you've taken over the base I'd be kind of safe!"

He started running faster, his feet splashing through the water angrily. He thanked the developers for the nice grip on his soles quietly. Without the hindrance of boots he could almost run as fast as he had run the quarter mile in his college days.

"You won't be safe until you're out of there, Trowa." The voice on the other end sounded terse, as if the man it belonged to was running out of time himself. And maybe he was.

"The door's coming up, I can see it. Can you give me the code?"

"7748."

He ran toward the door, when the voice snapped another number. "8846."

"What? Which one is it?" Trowa was short of losing his patience. What was this guy doing?

"3320. Fuck, that guy's fast."

That gave him an idea of what was happening. He had seen people battle programming before, and this sounded no different. The men behind him couldn't run faster than him, not with their gear weighing them down – Trowa didn't want to imagine the weight of the rifles they were surely carrying. He didn't want to be held up at the door either, no matter how far the guards were still behind.

"We're hacking simultaneously. Wait at the door for the next number. Type as fast as you can, and pray to whomever you believe in to make the light green."

Well, that was some advice. "Sorry if I don't sound too enthusiastic about that, Raider One." Quietly he added, "Right now, you're the one I'm placing my bets on."

"Then pray I'm faster than the other hacker."

"I do, believe me." He approached the door and jumped onto the concrete platform. "Now would be good."

"5567."

He typed the code in. The light didn't even so much as flicker. "It's still red."

"1234!"

His heart hammering in his chest, Trowa tried again. This time, the light switched, and he shoved the door open. "I'm through!"

He heard Raider One whoop – for a short moment. Apparently things weren't done yet on the other end. He slammed the door shut behind him - or better, he tried. As it was, just when he wanted to shut the door completely, the lock interjected and engaged without the door, keeping Trowa from blocking it behind him.

"Shit, he-"

"I know, I know! 9999." Trowa typed the four numbers in quickly, but the lock opened before he had pressed enter. He didn't wait for a better opportunity, and pushed the door closed again. A mere second before the light switched to red again, and stayed there.

"What did you do?"

"Tricked the bastard. Run, Trowa. I'm not sure how long it takes him to find a way around that. Do you have the map memorized, or do you want Base to guide you through while I busy your pursuers?"

"I don't have to turn anywhere, do I?" He was sure the way led him straight through the main tunnel; otherwise he would've been more worried about this escape route. It had sounded fairly easy when he had gone through it back at the headquarters. He sped up his pace and started running again. So far, he had no problems with his stamina, but he couldn't keep running forever – not at this pace.

"Well, if they close in on you, there are a few tunnels that lead back into the main one after a few bends and twists. That might distract them." Trowa listened for more, but the other man was already back to calculating his best chance out. "Although, by now they probably know what route you're taking. I'll lay a few false traces. Base will help us open trapdoors. Don't worry, Trowa. We'll get you out of here."

He heard a faint click, and Base interjected himself in their conversation. "Raider Two, this is Base. Trust the man, Raider Two. If anyone can get you out, it's him. He can chat people out of anything, even clothing. Isn't that right, boss?"

"Yeah, that's why I'm not allowed in the smoking room anymore, Trowa. Sad story, really. Even the secretaries have become wary."

"Hell, he even makes /me/ wary sometimes," Base interjected with a chuckle.

Trowa snorted at their banter. "That's why they call you "The Boss", I reckon?"

The voice on the other end chuckled and crooned. "I don't care about my bad reputation."

"Yeah, Joan. How come you're still single then?" Base interjected once again, and Trowa heard a faint 'Shut up, Keith' and something that sounded like 'Ouch' coming from Base. Then Raider One was back once again. "Don't listen to him, Trowa. He's just jealous because he's not a free man anymore."

"Happily married, boss. Happily married."

"He's a kept man who has to call home when he wants to stay for a beer after work. Base, I need confirmation on the second gate. Have you found the right sequence yet?"

Trowa knew he would have to stop running, if he wanted to make it through this night without a cardiac arrest. He listened to Base and Raider One exchange commands, and was consoled in the fact that they were completely professional once they started using their code names. He slowed down to a walk and listened attentively for any sounds coming from the tunnel behind him. He couldn't hear anything.

"Raider One, is the other door still jammed? I don't hear anything coming from the entrance."

"The door is still jammed. Could be because the other hacker wants to wait for his cronies to come to the door so he doesn't alert me, could be because he's still chewing on the bone I threw him."

"Let's hope it's the latter."

"Damn right we do." Raider One breathed through the communication line, making Trowa smile. He took the goggles off while walking and combed his hair back with his fingers, stumbling at the sudden darkness. Quickly he switched back to night vision and stared ahead. Trowa couldn't see the next door yet, but knew it couldn't be much further. He had alerted the hacker with the opening of door one, so the guards couldn't be far behind. Determined not to let the distance become smaller, he went back to a fast jog.

"Boss, I think we should arrange a different pick up point."

Duo looked up. He had thought about that as well. Even if they did lay wrong traces to split the pursuers up, the main bulk of the guards would go down the main tunnel, simply because it made more sense. There were more exits that way.

"A little uphill, maybe," Keith continued. "Off the main path. He could go left at the next junction, where the old water system connected to the lake."

Duo got up and hobbled over to the large desk, where Keith was leaning over the map. He followed the tunnel Trowa had come with his index finger.

"We could open all the doors to distract them, and try to get him through the little conjunction there."

Keith nodded in agreement. "It would be better if they didn't know we opened the doors at all, though. Do you think you can conceal the opening of one or two doors?"

Duo clucked his tongue. This would be so much easier with a little distraction. A distraction, either from the network or from a team going in at the planned exit - would serve them well. "Can you hack through the InGen firewall? If we can get an alarm going, or cut their power off, we might be able to trick them."

"If we overload the system and stage a power failure, Trowa would have around forty seconds to get through two doors before the emergency power engages. That's a damn short time, boss." Keith sounded skeptical.

"It would be great, if it worked. Look, this tunnel here has no doors at all after those first two. He could get outside after two miles, and they'll still be hunting down in the main tunnel." Duo looked at the map. There was only this one junction where that could work, and Trowa would have to let the guards damn close, or maybe he would even have to get to the next door, punch in the code, open and close the door, and then run back toward the guards. And then run for his life through the other tunnel, so as to not alert the guards to their plan. He cursed.

Keith tapped at the map, to get Duo's attention again. "He'd only have one try, you know that, right? If he doesn't make it, we won't see him again."

Duo nodded, fully understanding just what risk that was. "I'll tell him."

He rolled his chair back to the computer, and called up the tunnel system on the computer. There it was, only one door away. They wouldn't have much time to decide. He paused. They would definitely need the help of the operations team.

"Keith, do you know whose team is at the pick up point?"

"Chinaman Seagal's? No clue, but give me a moment. I'll find out."

Duo tinkered with the system and linked a few doors together under one command. They would need all the help they could enlist. He cracked his knuckles, and pinged Trowa again.

"Buddy, how's it going down there? Don't overexert yourself – we have a cunning plan for your fast little legs."

It only took a moment for the other Raider to reply. "I'm still good. The next door should be coming up soon, are you ready for another battle?"

"Not so fast. We're trying to rig a Snatch N' Run for you. Keith here is trying to get the pick up team online, so they can go in and meet you from the other end. In the meanwhile, you and I are going to run a little." Duo waited for Trowa's okay, and explained the plan.

Trowa would pass through the second door. He would sprint to the next gate down the main tunnel and open it as before. Then he would run back, and go up the tunnel at the other junction. At that point Base would cut off InGen's power – they would open up the double door leading up the tunnel to the mountain. Forty-five seconds later, the emergency power would engage, which meant they had to have both doors locked again. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be able to do this twice, which meant Trowa would have to run damn fast to get through the double doors up the tunnel. He had only one try, because by then the guards would have passed that junction. Then, technically, he would be safe until the pick up point. The plan was risky. It was their best chance in getting Raider Two out safely, maybe their only one. Trowa wouldn't be able to outrun the guards the whole three miles. Not if they had back up with baggy carts, which was likely for such a well paid group. Still, it would be Trowa's choice.

"All right." Trowa's voice sounded testily. "Forty-five seconds, for how many feet?"

"Forty for not too many feet. We need a couple of seconds to type in the commands to lock the doors again." Duo shrugged helplessly to himself. Almost apologetic, he added, "I hope you're a fast sprinter. I know I couldn't do it."

He heard Keith snort in the background. He turned and shot his partner a glare. Trowa's voice came back altered, as if the other man was smiling.

"You couldn't?"

Duo shook his head, his fingers still flying over the keyboard. "Nah, sprained my ankle on our last mission. Damn nuisance, I can't even shower properly. But even with a good ankle, I couldn't run that fast."

Keith chuckled and jumped in. "Yeah, the boss has short legs, and a damn unpractical hairstyle. Would weigh him down."

Duo flipped him off. "It may be unpractical, but nobody has complained yet."

"Yeah, no one's complained, except for past lovers, the super boss, He-Man and Chinaman Seagal, and the poor Mrs. Noin who had to fish your tassel out of her coffee once."

"Unappreciative folk, the lot of them. Trowa, you still there? Don't go all quiet on us, we're worrywarts."

He heard a snort. "I'm stuck in a wet, cold sewer, and you banter about Raider One's hairstyle. I'm trying to get a word in, to let you know that I can see the third door already."

"Loosen up, I got everything ready. Base, what about the pick up team, who's on it?"

"Looks like it's Chinaman Seagal's as we guessed. He probably knew it'd be your mission, so he signed his team up."

"Nice of him. See, Trowa, you'll be in the best hands." Duo smiled. Indeed, to him, Chinaman Seagal ranked on top of the operations teams. Not only because he and Chang had known each other long enough to be able to call the other "asshole" without being offended when they were drunk. "Let's ask for a second team to pick Trowa up at the other tunnel. Base, who else is available? We should have at least two teams on active duty."

"The Dead Poets should be back from their assignment in an hour. King's team is reserve tonight. They're sleeping downstairs, waiting for orders."

"Wake them up, and get them here. We-" Duo paused, and hissed as he saw what was happening down in the tunnel. "Trowa, your pursuers are passing the first gate. How far till the second door? Get there as fast as possible, type in 7722 and try to get to the third door faster than you got to the second. In the meantime, we'll move the teams in position."

"Roger, Raider One. See you in a moment, if the code doesn't work."

"Right," Duo replied with a wince.

Wufei looked at his team. The men were huddled in the back of the truck, waiting for the order to go home. He leaned forward and stared up at the dark sky through the windshield. He growled. This thunderstorm had a very bad timing. The wind was constantly picking up speed, and it was only a question of time until they would be soaked in rain. He leaned back again, reclining in the stiff seat as much as was possible. Suddenly, the radio started crackling, announcing a message. The team leaned collectively closer, curious as well.

"Raider Rescue, this is Base. Do you read? Raider Rescue, this is Base. Do you r-"

"Raider Rescue reading. Base, what's up? Can we go home?" The men rubbed their hands. The inactive duty wasn't becoming them. They were warriors and needed action to be satisfied. Although right now, they would probably do with some sleep just as well.

"Sorry, Chinaman. We had a problem. Raider Two is leaving through the tunnel system, but he's going up toward the lake. King will pick him up at the closest exit. We need your team to go in and distract the guards."

"No problem. My team is practically begging for some action. Isn't that right, guys?" He got a few tired and pointedly unenthusiastic whoops from his team and smiled grimly. He loved those lugs.

"I will be coordinating your entrance, because from the moment we open the doors you only have forty seconds until we have to lock the door again. Bring as many people in as you can, we can't do this twice."

Now that was positively weird. Wufei looked at his men, watching their faces. They were all blank, curious what this was all about. He shook his head. "Is this Maxwell's plan?" He wanted to be sure that this wasn't something one of the reserve people had thought up.

The familiar voice of his friend interrupted. "It's the only way we can do this, Chang. We will get Raider Two up another tunnel and cut off InGen's power so they don't know. We only have forty-five seconds until the emergency power engages. Is that okay with you? We must not leave any evidence, that's why we can't go directly to InGen. We need your distraction in the tunnel."

Wufei eyed his men, who looked more confident now that they knew what they'd have to do. He pressed the button again. "Understood, Base. Raider Rescue going in at Base's sign. We will get approximately six men in. That should be enough."

"Perfect, Raider Rescue. Thank you."

"Good luck to Raider Two." Wufei heard encouragements from his men, and smiled. They'd do everything in their power to help the man trapped in there. His small team could act as one man, and had earned their top rank in the operations teams. He was proud of them, and they knew it and worked even harder to satisfy their team leader. Just as was about to start selecting the other five who would be going down with him, Raider One interjected.

"One more thing, Raider Rescue. Your code name will change to Raider Rescue One. King's team will be Raider Rescue Two, coming down from the lake, to the exit where Raider Two will be extracted. You have approximately ten more minutes."

"Understood, Raider One. Raider Rescue One on standby and waiting for orders. Out."

Wufei turned around to look at his team. He could be a hard ass when he wanted to be, but this was not the time to be disciplined. He waggled his eyebrows playfully. "You heard it ladies, I'll take five of you with me. Who wants some action tonight?"

Eight hands shot up, and he nodded in satisfaction. Yes, he had expected nothing less from them. "Who hasn't gotten any action lately? And Ferniary, that doesn't include action with the brunette in the motor pool."

Again, eight eager hands shot up, and Ferniary muttered, "Shit. Did /everybody/ see that video?"

Sally Po patted his back and gave a feral grin. "They showed it at lunch on Wednesday, while you were gone to meet her again. I never knew you're that bendy, or I would've asked you out years ago."

Wufei rolled his eyes. "All right, Ferniary is in. Puss-in-Boots, you're in too. Let's see who hasn't gotten hand grenade training yesterday. Po, Johnson, and Motherfucker Masters will come along too. The rest of you will see action the next time we're on call." He paused. "Let's go and get ready, you heard the man. We have ten minutes before we're going in. Reichs, I'm leaving things in your hands."

With a clap of his hands their little group dissolved, and the men and women hopped out of the truck to get ready. They stretched clamped muscles and checked their packs and communication units.

While miles away, Raider Rescue One was preparing for their operation, Raider Rescue Two got their instructions. Quatre Winner and his team looked up at the white wall where a map of the area was being projected. The men were perched on chairs and desks and stared up at the map, memorizing it.

Quatre watched the operations leader limp toward the projector, the hand not occupied with the crutch gripping a pen. When he saw Duo looking up, he shot the other man an encouraging smile. They were ready to get their orders. Duo nodded back and started.

"All right everyone, attention."

Quatre looked his team over and decided that everyone was awake and ready to go. They had been fetched five minutes ago, and half of the team had equipped themselves with coffee mugs before leaving their dorm room. While walking past the coffee makers in the hallways on the way, they had filled the mugs and were now worshipping the hot black liquid carefully. The other half was staring starry eyed, their eyes watering from the cold energy drinks they were consuming in huge gulps. Quatre squashed his own can of Red Bull and with the crinkling of metal, the team got quiet.

"Raider Two's mission went tits up, and he had to escape through the tunnel system leading toward the city. He's going up this way and- Heero, what are you doing here?"

Quatre turned to greet the man who had stepped up behind him. He hadn't expected Duo to be on duty already, but to see Heero as well was even more of a surprise. The mission had to be really important to call injured agents back on duty.

"I couldn't sleep."

Quatre snorted. More like Heero couldn't let all this action happen without adding his own two cents. He patted Heero's arm and grinned. "Good to see you."

"The pleasure's all mine, Quatre. Now, what have we got here?"

As Heero's attention turned to his roommate for the instructions, Quatre turned back as well and saw Duo's shoulders slump in relief. He realized that it would have been hard for the other man to direct two teams, and work magic on the computer at the same time. Heero had probably guessed that he would be more useful here than at home. Duo smiled and raised his hand at Heero minutely, a silent greeting.

"I'll repeat. Raider Two's mission got fucked up, and he's now going up this way." Quatre followed the line Duo's pen indicated. "We changed the original escape plan, and are now sending Rescue One in here," he pointed at the map. "In approximately seven minutes. We're staging a power failure by overloading their system, which gives both teams inside forty seconds to get through the unlocked doors. When we lock them again, InGen will not know how many people are inside, and where they are. Rescue One will meet the guards following our man, and keep them occupied. Raider Two is going up the way I just indicated."

Duo leaned against the projector, and marked the way with his pen. "You guys will go up to the lake by helicopter, and pick Raider Two up. I hope one of you is good at field medics. The man will most likely be frozen stiff by the time he gets to you."

Quatre nodded. "Understood. The helicopter is waiting on the roof, I take it?"

Duo turned to his partner sitting at the computer. "Keith, is the helicopter ready?"

"Yes, sir. They're warming up now. Take off can be in five minutes."

"Raider Two won't be at the new pick up point very soon, but you better get ready. I'm not sure if the helicopter can land there. I didn't have that exit checked when I planned the mission. Heero here will give you the coordinates and everything else. He'll be your base."

When the instructions were given, Quatre turned to his team, and shooed them up. "Leave your mugs here and get up. Snatch your bags, and go on top. Big, you take my gear. I'll meet you on top of the building in five minutes. Get going."

When he turned to get the details from the operations leader, he found Heero was already there, resting a hand on Duo's shoulder. The other lay on top of the order sheet Duo had typed up.

"Let me take that. You go back and help Raider Two. Let me take over this team."

"You're right. Thanks for showing up."

Quatre looked down at the map lying on the scanner, and waited for Heero's instructions. He stared at the lake and the terrain surrounding it; and he frowned. The helicopter would probably have to land on a street, if the altitude lines there were any indication. He pursed his lips. The fastest way to get to the pick up point was via the lake itself. Looking around, his eyes fell on the abandoned mobile headset on the desk next to Duo's computer.

"Duo, can I use your headset for a moment? I think we need some more equipment."

They both turned and Duo waved his hand encouragingly. "Anything you need." He watched the blond agent for a moment, before the crackling of his headphones called him back. Trowa had run to the third portal. It was time to get serious. He hopped back to his chair and flopped himself in, rolling a few inches backwards with the force.

"I'm here, Trowa. Where are you?"

The voice on the other end was fast. "I'm just before the second gate. Is the code still 7722? I saw the tunnel I'll have to take later. It's – four minutes away. At the pace I'm going now."

"7722, that's right. As soon as you've got it closed, run back. They can't be far away from the second door."

"I'm running already. I know they're behind me. Fuck, tell me something I don't know."

"Trowa, don't lose your head now. I'm just telling you. You'll make it. They are barely past the first door. You have at least eight more minutes." Duo leaned back, and cast a quick glance at Heero. The other man had already started up his computer and was now loading up the programs he would need.

"Insufferable bastard," came through the headphones.

"The second rescue team is leaving now. They'll be there to pick you up. The first team will go in during the power black out, and give the guards a suitable distraction. I can't do more than that. I-" Duo shook his head and rubbed his tired eyes. If Trowa died there, it would be his fault. It was his mission, his screwed up foot. He grabbed the mouse with determination. Right, it was his mission. And he wouldn't allow anyone to die on his mission.

"We're proceeding with the preparations for the power failure now. Tell us when you're in position."

Duo looked over at Keith and Heero, and sighed, daring to ask the one rhetorical question none of them would be able to answer.

"What if we can't overload the system?"

"We're proceeding with the preparations for the power failure now. Tell us when you're in position."

Trowa jumped up the platform where the door was, and punched 7722 into the keypad. He hoped InGen would be too late to lock the door before he had managed to get it closed again. He was sure he was surprising them by passing the distance in half the time.

The color changed from red to green, and he gave himself another second before he slammed the door close again. Taking a deep breath, he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. Four minutes. He jumped into the water and started running back. By now his body was covered in sweat, and his legs were wet up to his thighs. He couldn't stop now, or else he would be frozen stiff within a matter of minutes. He narrowed his eyes and sped his pace up. There was no way he could allow himself to run into the guards, not with safety so damn close.

He counted the minutes roughly, and after three minutes of blank tunnel walls in front of him, he saw the dark hole of the junction. He pressed his hand to his collar, his footsteps never wavering. It was almost impossible for him to hear anything ahead of him, the splashing of the water and his own hard breathing echoed off the tunnel walls, rendering him unable to make out the sounds of the people coming at him.

"Base!" His chest was heaving by the time he had almost completely closed the distance. He slowed down and breathed harshly through his mouth. There were no sounds in the tunnel, only the ones he was making.

"Trowa, are you there?"

"Almost. Get ready, guys." Losing no more time, he rounded the corner and hoisted himself up into the other tunnel, from which a steady drain of water was flowing down into the main tunnel. It was steep, almost like a chimney, and the ground was extremely slippery. He looked up and cringed. This would definitely warrant a chimney climb, but at least he could see the top a few feet up. "All right, I'm in the side tunnel now."

"Looks good," said the voice of Raider One. "Now, stop running and save your breath. We should be ready in a minute. Tell us when you get there."

Trowa grunted into the microphone. Stop running? What did they know? He looked up and braced himself. He couldn't even use the Maghook here. He pressed his back against the concrete, and brought his feet up. With his hands braced against the side, he slid up an inch. At this rate he would take half an hour just to get up there. Grunting, he shoved further, until he saw a crack between two pieces of concrete. Sweating profusely by now, he cautiously shifted his toes into the crack. With his fingers he searched for the next and winced at the distance. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself off the wall and hung in the chimney like a spider. If the guards passed the junction now and looked up, he would be caught like a sitting duck.

Determined not to give up this easily, Trowa balanced himself and searched for the next crack with his toes. So far, so good, even if he was a little slower than planned. Cautiously he made his way up, until his hands found the top. He didn't look up, but rather concentrated on the cracks he had to hook his toes in.

Suddenly, his fingers encountered something wet and definitely not concrete. With a gasp he jerked his hand back, almost losing his balance. He looked up and saw a metal grating, serving to catch things from floating down into the other tunnel. Trowa groaned. Why hadn't he at least /tried/ using the Maghook? He sighed, and stared at the grating, trying to figure out what he had almost grasped earlier. He bit his tongue as he saw that right where he had placed his fingers a dead wet rat was lying. Disgusted, he scrunched his nose up and secured himself. He brought his toes up to place them on the concrete bottom of the other tunnel and rattled at the metal bars. They were old and had never been replaced with new ones. He rattled and saw that they gave way a little, breaking bits of concrete out of the tunnel wall. Calculating, he looked down. If they came now, when he used the Maghook to shoot the bars away, he would be caught. On the other hand, he wouldn't be able to get much further with the gate in place.

He unhooked the tool, and aimed it at the bars. Before shooting, he tilted his head a last time to listen. He couldn't hear anything. He pulled the trigger and watched as the charged magnet shot out of the gun, snapped against the metal, and pushed it out of the rusty hinges.

With one last kick, the grating gave way and would have clattered against the concrete, if Trowa hadn't caught it with his foot an inch away from the ground. He balanced himself carefully and let the bars sink down, effectively squishing the dead rat in place. It wouldn't be good to let the rotting corpse fall down into the main tunnel.

He let go and crawled through the small connection piece into the other tunnel. So far, so good. This one was still uphill, but not too steep. Trowa was sure it wouldn't slow him down much. He adjusted his goggles and put the Maghook back into its place on the utility belt. Then he slowly made his way toward the next door. He could already see it in the dim light the night goggles gave him. At that rate he would have to use the flashlight soon. The batteries for the night vision glasses wouldn't last forever.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead and kept going. Damn - he was getting tired.

Groaning at his own weakness, he struggled to get up and started jogging up the corridor at a slow pace to conserve energy.

"Raider One? Base? Anyone?"

"Base here. What's up?"

"How much time to do I have till you're ready?"

He frowned as the night vision dimmed another notch. He counted the hours they had been on already. They were supposed to last another hour at least. He grunted when the vision suddenly failed and he was encased by darkness. This was just another thing going wrong tonight. He shouldn't have been that surprised. With a curse on his lips, he looked up to where he supposed God was cursing him from.

"I swear to you, I didn't know she was married."

But God didn't answer. Instead, the earphones crackled and Raider One came on. "Hey, Trowa. We can do the power failure in ten minutes. We're still programming."

"Good," he replied.

"Are you at the door already?"

Trowa gritted his teeth. He would be, if there hadn't been unexpected circumstances.

"No."

Duo frowned at the answer. Maybe Trowa was getting tired, because the distance between the junction and the door wasn't that much. He should've reached it already. He checked with Keith, who was equally clueless as to what the hindrance was.

"Don't wear yourself out, all right? You've got to run in a few minutes."

"I'd be faster if there weren't unexpected chimney climbs and dead rats in the way. Don't worry, I'll be at the gate and ready by the time you're done programming," came the terse reply from the other end.

Duo winced. "I'm sorry. We didn't know there were any obstacles in the way."

He finished typing and squinted at the screen. If he had done everything right, the override would work perfectly. "Heero, Keith, can you two check the override for me? I've sent it to your stations."

He wiggled his fingers experimentally and decided to check on the progress the two rescue teams had made. He switched to the other headset and tuned it to Wufei's frequency. "Chinaman Seagal, this is Base," he sent through the line. To the two rescue teams, they were all Base. The computer automatically sent the incoming requests to the one responsible.

"Base, we're in position and ready. It's raining like hell now. We want inside," his friend replied grumpily

"Perfect. You have another four minutes. Keith will be your time keeper. I'm switching your line to his computer now. Good luck, Chinaman."

"Thanks. Raider Rescue One out."

When the line went static, Duo switched channels and turned in his chair. "Keith? I switched Raider Rescue One to your computer. You'll be their countdown."

Keith nodded, his eyes still going through the override. "Boss, the override is okay. Send me the clock for the countdown?"

"Roger that. Heero, what says you? Is the override okay, and is King in position?"

The man in question nodded. "Yes on the override, no on Raider Rescue Two. The helicopter will be there in about five to ten minutes."

Duo nodded and got ready to tell Trowa. He opened the channel and requested quietly, "Trowa, Raider One here. How's it going?"

After a moment of static, the voice on the other end came up. "I'm at the gate and ready."

"Good. As soon as we end the countdown with 'go', and you punch in the numbers, you will have forty seconds to get through the second door as well. The code stays the same. Double two, double three, got that?"

"Yes. Double two, double three. Forty seconds," Trowa confirmed.

"Right. You have to worry about nothing else. We will beep the last ten seconds for you. If you're not through the second door by the time the time is up, just go through as fast as possible and go on. Your rescue team will be in position in about ten to fifteen minutes, armed and ready to take you home."

Trowa's answer came after a moment. "Okay. Raider One, is this tunnel closer to the lake?"

Duo got up to check the map they had still projected to the wall. He bit his bottom lip in worry. "Yes, why?"

"It's louder here than it was in the main tunnel."

"Odd feeling?" he asked.

"Bad odd feeling. I saw a storm brewing earlier. I hope that's not going to affect the tunnels here."

"Water?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Raider Rescue One said something about rain earlier. We can't check that until your rescue team is in position. Do you want to wait?"

The answer came after a few moments. "No. Let's do this."

"Roger," Duo replied. "In that case, we're implementing the override now. Get ready to run. We will count down from ten."

Offline again, he turned to see how his partners were faring. "Keith, have you told Chinaman Seagal that his countdown will start with ten?"

"Yes, boss."

"Heero, have you heard anything from King?"

"Yes, they're closing in on the lake now. The helicopter is landing in a minute, then they'll have to cross the lake and regroup at the entrance."

Duo nodded. "All right. Now, the power failure. I'm implementing the override in-" he interrupted himself to open the line to Raider Two and started the countdown.

"Ten."

Further down the main tunnel, Chinaman Seagal got his men ready for entry. His hand poised over the touch pad, he swiped over his face with the other. They looked like wet rats already. Soon they'd smell like some, too.

"Get ready, people, clear the entrance as fast as you can when you touch down," he instructed his team.

"Eight," came over the speakers. He was ready.

On the landing patch of the helicopter, Raider Rescue Two cleared the street and settled down out of the helicopter's range. King watched the helicopter take off again, and disappear in the night sky.

Within minutes, they were wet.

"The countdown for the others has begun. We have to hurry," he yelled over the rain and ducked away to get the outboard motor for the inflatable boat ready.

"Six," the voice said calmly, making Trowa itch. He evened out his breath and prepared for another record breaking sprint. He had done enough of them in his life, one more, with a little more pressure wouldn't hurt him.

When the count was down at zero, he quickly punched in the numbers, yanked the door open, and jumped through, into a puddle of water. He pushed the door close, made sure it had locked properly, and started sprinting the ascending tunnel way upwards, through a steady, but slow stream.

The seconds ticked away, and he could hear his own heartbeat thump loudly in his chest. The adrenaline gave him that extra pinch of speed, and he ran along, imagining himself faster than he had ever run before. The water at his feet, however, didn't get any less. It trickled through the tunnel system despite the locked gate – a security measure that kept the whole system from bursting. He could see the door coming up and pushed himself more. He threw himself against the wall, not slowing down before he absolutely had to, and punched in two-two-three-three. The light switched to green and he pushed the door open. It didn't budge at first, and as soon as he had opened it a bit, Trowa realized why. There was water coming through. A lot of it, seeing as he could barely open the door wide enough to slip through. The water would flow faster if the door weren't closed, he realized, when the water rushed past the opening and into the tunnel below.

He could hear the beeping of the last ten seconds – fifteen, if he counted the puffer zone Raider One had calculated. He reached for his throat and engaged the call button.

"Raider One, I'm leaving this one open. There's water coming through, it will block the lower gate."

He spoke fast and hoped that Raider One caught on and agreed. He only had to wait a moment before the answer came. The countdown beeped in his ear.

"Okay," said a voice lower than Raider One's. "Can you hold the door open another moment? Raider One's trying to feed the Centaur some false information."

Trowa's chest heaved. He had run fast, and his legs were close to becoming jelly. "Anything for you."

"Heh," the man on the other side replied. "I'm glad to hear that. You can let go as soon as the lock engages, says Raider One."

Trowa heard the beeps go shrill. Five, four, three- he saw the lock engage and let go. "That was tight."

"Heh," the lower voice chuckled again. "That's usually not bad, is it?"

This time, Trowa laughed out loud. "Yeah. Usually, I'd agree." He paused for a moment and leaned against the wall. "How many more doors do I have?"

"None, except for the exit gate. Now you get out of there. Your rescue team should be there before you," replied the familiar voice of Raider One. Apparently the other guy had been booted out of the line, as he didn't say anything.

Trowa smiled. "That's good. I'm not sure I could do this again." He wobbled away from the gate, straightened and started wading through the water - upstream, to where the exit was located. "I'll talk to you again later."

"All right. You're doing great up there, just hold on and we'll have you out safely soon. Raider One out."

Trowa sighed. He was holding on. He had to.

Meanwhile, Raider Rescue Two was rushing across the lake in an inflatable Zodiac. Quatre and his team had balanced themselves on the sides, with Big, their only ex-Navy SEALS member in the back, steering the little craft over the rough surface of the lake. The ride was bumpy, but the appointed helmsman made sure they got to the other side as fast as possible. So far, none of them had thrown up yet, which said something, because there was a reason Stoneman Henson had chosen a purely land operating team to serve with. Quatre looked over and grinned.

"Feeling queasy yet?"

Stoneman Henson shook his head in disgust. "You could've warned me, sir. I'd thrown a sick day."

Quatre reached into his backpack and yelled over the waves, "Night goggles on!" There was no use in conserving the batteries, since they wouldn't be out long enough for them to run out. He watched as one by one, his group sank into the bottom of the boat to avoid getting thrown out without their hands on the safety line. He waited until the man across from him went down and used the time to get the Big's night goggles out of the backpack while he was steering. He carefully put them on the other man and waited for the thumbs up sign that they were comfortable and in place. When that was done, he put on his own.

With the better sight, he could make out a spot in the dark, which looked like it could be the entrance to the tunnel system. He pointed it out to the skipper and they felt the boat change its angle. Now the waves slammed against the Zodiac, making Stoneman Henson bring his hand up to his mouth.

Quatre grinned. "Now, don't go throwing up in here. What kind of impression would that make on our passenger?"

He got the finger for his troubles. "Sir, with all respect, but fuck you, sir." With that, Stoneman Henson, who had stabbed knives into people's brains through their eyeballs, was violently sick over the side of the boat.

Quatre watched Gigola, the only woman in his team, pat the sick man on the back. Henson leaned in, but instead of showing him compassion, she just yelled vigorously, "Let it all out, Stone! Let it all out."

He laughed. Stoneman should have known better than to expect sympathy from the woman he regularly thrashed at poker. Turning from the man, he stared into the darkness. They'd come a lot closer to their target. The shorter waves close to the shore shook the ride even more and he narrowed his eyes to make out the shoreline. The rain had gotten heavier, if that was even possible, and the boat was already weighty with water. He pushed his hair back. He regretted that they hadn't taken the time to grab raincoats for the ride.

Suddenly, the shoreline came in sight and he yelled for attention. The two front men got ready to jump out and Big navigated the boat surely through the reed. Stoneman Henson was almost thrown out when the boat stopped abruptly, but Gigola and Big grabbed him quickly.

"Thanks," he muttered and climbed out, swaying slightly. His comrades came up and patted him on the back.

When the Zodiac was secured, Gigola had found the entrance to the tunnel system and led them there. Despite the public land it was, they checked the surroundings for booby traps before they crouched down around it.

Quatre brought his hand to his throat and patted for the call button. "Base, this is Raider Rescue Two. We're in position. Waiting for instructions."

He was waiting for a reply from the command center, when one of his team got his attention.

"Boss, there's water down there."

Stoneman Henson groaned. Quatre cursed. "Base, there's water in the tunnel system. The water's coming down from the hills."

The answer came a moment later. It was simple, and rather easy to understand.

"Fuck."

"Base, there's water in the tunnel system. The water's coming down from the hills," came Quatre's urgent voice from the speakers.

Duo's eyes widened as he checked the map of the tunnel system. The heavy rain was coming down the mountains, and the old tunnel Trowa was walking up was one of the many overflow tunnels that made sure the lake and rivers didn't flood.

"Fuck," he replied.

He stared at the map for another moment, before he turned to his partners. "Heero, can you calculate how far Raider Two still has to go? If he's not close to the exit, he better grow fins. The tunnel system is flooding. Keith, tell Wufei. And get him out of the tunnel."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. Before he told Trowa, he wanted to know the distance. He fidgeted and switched on the communication system.

"Trowa? It's getting a little tight."

"I thought your partner liked that?"

Duo looked over at Heero and snorted. "Yeah, he does, but this is different. Look, you noticed the water at your feet, right? It's been rising higher?"

The voice took a moment, and answered shakily, "Yes? Am I getting flushed out of here, or what?"

"Kind of. It's been raining, and the tunnel system is leading overflow water through the compound to avoid flooding. It's part of the old system. So, we're calculating the distance between you and your exit. We might send someone in with ropes and whatever we can find to get you out."

"And the rescue team?" Trowa's voice asked.

"Well, them, too. Go down the tunnel as fast as you can, all right? We'll get you out as fast as possible." Duo hoped his voice sounded more reassuring than he felt. He knew how dangerous those tunnels where – he had researched the mission.

"Okay."

When the static was back, Heero came over to Duo's seat with a sheet of paper in hand. "Those are some estimates. Let's hope he walked fast; in that case he would be about two thirds down the way, if not more. I guess he's about a quarter of a mile away from the exit."

"We can do a quarter of a mile. If necessary, we-", he was interrupted by Keith.

"Chinaman Seagal is angry," he reported. "They're retreating now."

Duo nodded. "Good plan. See if we can find a closer exit, okay? Check if one of the side tunnels lets out after a few feet."

"Yes, sir," the other hacker saluted and turned to the map. "Boss, these locked gates, do they open automatically when there's a flood?"

Duo shook his head. "The locked gates are slowing the water down, but there are grates and everything, so each of those cells slowly fills up with water. That's to avoid having the compound under water, and to make sure most of the water goes the other way."

"The other way? Chinaman Seagal's way?"

"Exactly," Duo replied curtly. He wondered if those guards had already retreated, but knowing that kind of ex-military and the company that stood behind them, he assumed they'd pursue the stolen information. Trowa was almost out of danger, and with him, the information. The other team that had gone in – for nothing, it seemed – was still in danger.

Tonight, he decided, was not a good one.

Wufei was cursing their earlier eagerness to get into the tunnel system. Rescue missions usually didn't end with the rescue team needing rescue; especially not when Wufei Chang was in charge.

Of his team, only Johnson, Boots, Masters and Ferniary had made it through the opening in time. If they didn't cut it, at least half of his team would still be alive.

Motherfucker Masters' first words upon hearing the bad news, were of course "Oh, motherfucker." The others had agreed with grim faces.

Wufei decisively pointed at the man standing in the back. "Ferniary, you take the lead."

"Me?"

"Yes, Ferniary. Go," he ordered. "I'll run behind you. If you make me run into anything, there'll be hell to pay. Motherfucker, you go last."

"Yes, sir."

He noted that Ferniary was already sweating. The newbie wasn't broken in yet, wasn't yet experienced with feeling hopeless and so close to death. The prospect of drowning in the sewer system scared him. The rest of the team preferred to see it as a challenge. Wufei nodded at him. "That's not even the beginning of your punishment for fucking in the motor pool. When we get back, you can start with cleaning up the locker rooms."

Ferniary nodded, calming down a little. "Yes, sir." Then he led their team back through the main tunnel where they'd come from. Wufei jogged behind him, his boots splashing in the cold water. He looked at Ferniary's boots and took out the map he had packed.

"Base, this is Raider Rescue One."

The answer came only a moment later. "Raider Rescue One, Base here. You're on your way back?"

"Yes. I have the map here. We'll be at D-7 in a few minutes. D-7."

The communication line went quiet for a minute.

"Raider Rescue One, you will find an exit a hundred feet behind the door to D-7. We will coordinate that with the rest of your unit."

"Roger that. Out," Wufei answered. "Ferniary, turn into the next tunnel when we get to it."

Suddenly, he heard a yell and ran into something solid, as the front man stopped. "What the hell?"

Behind him, Boots yelled again. "Boss! Water behind us!"

Wufei barely had the time to look up, when he saw water coming toward them. "Shit. Link yourselves together, quickly. Johnson, take the lead. Fernairy, behind him."

They quickly roped their harnesses together as trained. Wufei knew his team wasn't used to water and couldn't remember a mission where they'd had to build a chain, but he was proud to see their professionalism. Johnson was helping Ferniary and Boots was clinking himself into the newbie's belt unasked.

Johnson yelled first, "Done!"

"Maghooks out," was all Wufei got out before the water took them and they were swept down the tunnel. Motherfucker yelled his favorite curse out loud when his legs scraped painfully against the concrete. The water level wasn't high enough to drown them, but the force with which the water found its way through the tunnels was enough to carry them along. He searched the tunnel for the entrance to D-7, when Johnson at the front yelled out that he could see it.

"Engage Maghooks!" Four heavy magnetic heads searched the tunnel walls for a metallic surface to cling to. One fell short, another drowned in the water, but Johnson aimed his perfectly and the Maghook found a metal grate at the side tunnel with undeterred precision.

When the hook was clinging and yanking them to a stop, Wufei fired his own Maghook off and strengthened the bond between the five men and the tunnel entrance.

When they came to a stop, they all tried to carefully find a stance on the ground. The water pushed against them with a force that made it hard to breathe. Johnson immediately started to pull them toward the entrance, but alone he had no chance. Ferniary pushed forward to help him, and Wufei and Boots started pulling on the line he had fired off. They knew that engaging the automatic spool was dangerous under these circumstances - when a film of water was between the magnet and the metal. They couldn't afford to lose their hold on the entrance.

Johnson was just grasping the edge of the side tunnel entrance with his fingertips, when voices came from inside.

"Chinaman, Pussy, Motherfucker!"

Wufei's heart sagged in relief, when he heard the familiar voice of White yell for them. Base had coordinated the new pick up point, and the rest of his team had made it – and fast, he realized.

Just then, Parsons' head poked out of the entrance and he grinned. "Johnson, for once it's actually nice to see your ugly face." He reached out and grabbed Johnson's harness. White came up behind him, and helped. When Johnson was inside the tunnel safely, he immediately turned and started helping Ferniary inside.

Wufei and Boots were next and took over for Johnson and Ferniary. When even Motherfucker was out of the main tunnel, they sat back, panting like dogs.

"That was fun," Boots murmured between heaves.

Motherfucker patted him on the back. "True. We should do it again some time. Maybe at Five Flags, though."

"That would be definitely safer," White commented. "And warmer. You must be frozen, let's get back."

Wufei nodded and stood up, bent over because the smaller side tunnel was two thirds his height. "Good job, team. Let's get out of here, before this tunnel decides to throw up on us as well."

"Yes, sir."

"Parsons, notify Base if you have a dry headset. We're okay and on our way out."

The acknowledgement was snapped out immediately, before the man ran back through the tunnel to get to the transporter. His and White's equipment had been soaked as well.

Wufei shook the water out of his ears and worked his jaw. Tonight, he decided, was not a good one.

"Raider Rescue Two, this is Base." Quatre recognized the voice as Duo's.

He answered immediately. "Raider Rescue Two here."

"Open the tunnel entrance with the sequence 1122. Tell me how much water you see."

"Roger." Quatre punched in the numbers and pulled the heavy manhole open. "Base, there's about a foot of fast water now. Raider Two might have difficulties walking up here."

"Send something through the tunnel. A long rope, a harness, what have you. He might not make it to you in time."

"Roger," Quatre replied and turned. "Stoneman and Big, chain your ropes and put a harness at the end."

Busy rustling answered him, and he watched as they quickly worked together. When the makeshift rescue ring was done, Quatre threw the end with the harness into the tunnel and secured the other.

"Base, the harness is released. Tell your man to pick it up."

"Thank you, King."

Quatre signed off and stepped down the metal ladder into the sewer. He turned and searched the tunnel for Raider Two. Nothing, so far, he noted grimly. At least the man would soon be harnessed and ready to be fished out of the water. Quickly, he climbed back up and looked at his expectant team.

"Now, we wait."

In the tunnel, Trowa was wading through the high water to the promised exit.

"Trowa, good news. Your rescue team just sent a harness through the tunnel. Pick it up, put it on, and tug on the rope. Raider Rescue Two is available on 30.4."

"Thanks, Raider One. Wish me luck?"

The voice changed, as Raider One grinned. "Of course, Raider Two. Good luck, and be safe. It has been a pleasure to work with you. Night."

"Ditto," Trowa replied. "Goodbye, Raider One."

Then he switched frequency, wondering if there was a possibility to meet the hacker he had talked to for the past two hours. The Delta department was usually quiet, and there were rumors about the strange smelly hackers that never went home and drank coffee laced with speed. Nonetheless, three of them had just gotten him through the sewerage system safely, and he wanted to thank them. Even if it had been their fault for mucking up the mission in the first place – he was sure of that.

He squinted when he noticed something moving toward him, and hoped it was the promised harness and not a crocodile.

"Raider Rescue Two, this is Raider Two," he notified the team when the harness smacked against his legs.

"Raider Two, this is your rescue team. The harness arrived safely?"

Trowa put it on quickly and snapped the buckles closed. "Yes. I've put it on," he answered. And it hadn't come too soon either, he thought when the water level rose another foot with a sudden wave. He struggled with his balance and dropped the flashlight into the water. The light continued another moment, before the light fizzled out and the plastic disappeared into the murky water. He cursed.

"All right. We'll pull you in now. The water's rising higher."

"Roger that," he replied. "I just noticed."

When the first pull came, he let himself float. Getting pulled was definitely faster and a lot easier than walking, he noticed with satisfaction.

Suddenly, he heard someone yell, "I can see him!"

His radio rustled. "Raider Two, I hope you heard that yell. We'll have you out of there in a minute."

"Thanks," he shouted back. He turned and made swimming movements to help his saviors. A tall, broad man was waiting at the ladder and yelled up through the manhole, "Boss, he's here!" The voice was enthusiastic, and immediately the pull on the rope stopped. The man tugged him close by the harness and gave him a curt nod.

"Hi, my name's Big, and I'm your rescuer tonight," the baritone rumbled.

Trowa looked up and squinted when rain water dropped into his face. A blond head moved into view, and the team leader reached out for him. "Welcome to safety, Raider Two."

"Thanks."

"We'd offer tea and blankets, but it's kind of wet out here."

Trowa shrugged. "That's okay. I'm used to the water."

The broad man next to him laughed out loud. "Yeah… you would be. C'mon, let's get out of here."

Big helped Trowa climb up the wet stairs and the blond team leader pulled him out. He stayed there on the concrete for a moment, panting, while the blond man told Base that he had gotten out safely. Trowa didn't have the energy - he had used up enough adrenaline for two.

"King, there's cars coming toward us," he heard a woman's voice yell over the rain. "Not friendly, I think."

Trowa turned his head to look, but he only saw the blond man nod toward the man at his side, and winced when Big pulled him up.

"We've got to get out of here. Stoneman, back to the boat," he ordered.

Trowa was glad the tall man was helping him. His legs were jelly. The undignified answer came from his left.

"But boss! We just got here!"

They all but ran down the path to the water. The woman turned the boat and Big helped him inside. As soon as they were all sitting, Big started the motor and navigated back over the open water.

He leaned back against the bulk of the inflatable boat and stretched out his legs. The team leader thumbed his call button again and called for the helicopter that was waiting for them. By now it was past four thirty in the morning, and the sky was tinged a light pink just over the horizon. All Trowa could think about at the moment, was his bed. The mission report would have to wait a day or two.

Trowa pulled his keycard through the reader and waited for the portal to open. The porter waved him over, and he put his bag on the counter and looked around while the doorman was checking his things. Then the man nodded at him and waved him through. Upon requesting to see Raider One and the Base team that had guided him through the sewerage system, he had received a slip of paper with the room number from his commanding officer, but no description. He found the Delta unit and asked his way up to the third floor by himself. Now, he was at the lab that started with the ominous number '40.'. The porter pointed at a room in the middle of the floor which was encased by glass. From inside, the loud whirring of computer ventilators sounded, as well as the sound of fast typing. Hackbusters, the label stated in red letters. He knocked against the open glass door.

"Yes?" A young man turned in his chair and looked him up and down. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for room 40.307," he said, waving the slip of paper.

"That's us, all right. Did you want to speak to the boss?"

"If that's the one with the short legs and the unfortunate hair style, then the answer would be yes."

A cough sounded behind him. "That would be me. Duo Maxwell. Second in command, Delta unit."

Trowa winced and turned. The man behind him was leaning against a crutch – a head shorter and with hair tied to a braid down to his ass. "I only know you as Raider One, so I wasn't sure who was who."

The man's eyes widened. "You're Trowa?"

At Trowa's nod, the man hugged him close with the arm not occupied by the crutch. "Come in and have a seat." He gestured at one of the office chairs. "That's Keith, he was your base. And Heero's on coffee break right now, but he'll be here later. It's good to meet you in person."

Trowa hadn't known what to expect, but he was surprised by the welcome. The other man limped over to his computer and turned the office chair to face him. "We got the data and it's all we could hope for, really," he started off enthusiastically. "I read your report, and I'm glad you made it out okay. Told you you'd get out."

Trowa nodded, trying to get a word in. "Yeah, me too. I wouldn't have managed without your help, though."

"Ah, nonsense," Duo waved him off. "We got you into that dilemma in the first place. It was our duty to get you out okay."

"I heard the other rescue team got out safely, too?"

"Yeah. Was tight, but went well in the end."

"I brought you a six pack Red Bull. Rumors say you inject that stuff."

Duo's eyes lit up. "Oh, you're a god. We were just trying to find out whose turn it was to go down to the store and buy more."

Keith snorted from his work station. "It was your turn, because I remember going the last three times."

Duo yapped at him, and put the six pack in a mini fridge under one of the desks. "Don't believe what they tell you. But Keith here claims it makes you fuck better. He regularly dips his dick into a glass and then claims it's like sniffing superglue."

"I do not. But guess how he knows," came the other man's voice from the computer.

Duo threw a paper wad at his colleague before turning back to Trowa. "Hey, if you want to go to the break room, I think your other rescuers are there now, too, hashing out details for the next poker night."

Trowa smiled and nodded. "If you can explain to me where it is," he trailed off.

"Sure," Duo replied. "Just down the hall and down staircase number three and out the right door. Then take a left and follow the smell of smoke and coffee."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. And now that I know your face, maybe we'll run across each other again."

Keith's snort attracted Trowa's attention and he raised his eyebrows. "The boss means, now that you brought him Red Bull, he'll follow you like a stray dog."

"True," Duo admitted. "You shouldn't feed me. Look at Heero – he only brought me Crispy Salty Chicken once and a week later I had my toothbrush in his bathroom."

"And I regret it to this day," Heero's voice interrupted them from the door. "You're…"

"Trowa Barton, Raider Two," Trowa introduced himself and shook Heero's hand. "I just came by to say thanks for the rescue."

"And to feed me," Duo grinned.

Heero nodded. "That means you don't need that coffee?" he asked and raised the cup he was holding in his left.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh," Heero said and put the cup down next to Duo's keyboard. "Hey, Trowa, want to meet your rescuers? Quatre said he was going to call you, but lost your number."

Duo snorted. "Quatre never calls anyone. He doesn't even call back. He doesn't even listen to his answering machine."

Heero raised his eyebrows. "He often calls me."

Duo narrowed his eyes. "Those suspicious calls you claim to be from your mother?"

"No, those are from Marie Claire," Heero deadpanned and winked at Trowa. "She often calls to tell me what a bastard you were when you two were dating."

"Girlfriend snatcher. I'll show you."

"Come on, Trowa. Let's leave him alone with his grudge," Heero said with a grin and gestured out the door. "I heard from Quatre you're a Marine?"

"Was, yes. Although, I guess you never stop being one," he answered.

"No, you don't," he heard Heero reply. The other man pulled his shirt up and revealed his tattoo. Trowa grinned. Not the typical thing he had expected from what seemed like a computer geek.

He followed Heero down the corridor, down staircase number three and smiled when a few minutes later he was lured into the break room by the smell of smoke and coffee, and the sound of laughter.

The mission itself had been a bad one, overshadowed by bad luck, but now that he was safely out of the sewer system, and after a nice week of vacation, he was ready to admit that even that mission had had its good sides.

**end**


End file.
